New building permit fee schedule approved

The Mathews County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved new building permit fees after a public hearing during the board’s April 22 meeting.

In some cases, according to the new fee schedule, the fees have doubled. For example, the minimum fee for any permit rose from $25 to $40, while the fee for 1-50 outlets or fixtures went from $10 to $20, 51-100 outlets went from $20 to $30, and 51-100 fixtures rose from $15 to $30.

Before adopting the new fee schedule, the board unanimously approved repealing the old building permit fee schedule, which was in the zoning ordinance. The schedule was then included in the annual budget. As part of the zoning ordinance, changes required amendment procedures, while as a budget item, the fees are subject to yearly review and change along with the rest of the budget.

There was no comment either for or against the changes during the public hearing.

Schools

Also during the meeting, Supervisor Edwina Casey questioned Schools Superintendent Dr. David Holleran about a $100 activity fee that she said would be imposed on participants in VHSL sports next year.
Holleran said that fees fund the athletic program, covering a variety of costs, including having referees at all sports and an athletic trainer at football games. He said that families that can prove a hardship may speak to the school’s principal to have the fees waived.

Sara Hogge, bookkeeper for Mathews High School, said in a later interview that the fee per VHSL activity next year will not be $100, but instead will be $40, with a maximum of $100 per child. For example, she said, if a child were to participate in three VHSL activities, which could be various sports, drama, forensics, or other activities, the first two activities would cost $40 each, while the third would cost only $20 because of the $100 maximum.

The board of supervisors also adopted a resolution allowing the school system to transfer funds among categories in order to maintain a balanced end-of-year budget.